Perry T. Cook, eleven, has
grown up in a minimum-security prison.
His mother is incarcerated; she’s a resident, in for manslaughter. But
we also learn that she’s worked to attain a degree in social work while there. Perry
has been allowed to stay in his own little room near the warden’s office. He’s close to many of the residents, has some rules (doesn’t every
kid?), and is happy. He’s looking forward to his mom being released on parole.
He’s a good kid with a great friend at school, Zoey, a young girl who sticks
with Perry through everything, and he sticks with her too. The wrench thrown in
the story comes from Zoey’s father, a new DA who’s recently discovered about
Perry and believes it’s a terrible situation. He manages to get custody as a
foster parent, and all of a sudden Perry and Zoey are together, all the time, and Perry is no longer in the only home he's ever known.
This is the stepfather that Zoey has been complaining about!

Saturday, July 30, 2016

This weekend I celebrate with Ruth Ayres at Discover Play Build. and link with others who share their celebrations, too. I am grateful to Ruth for starting this meme that offers a place to share! Late this year marks the fourth year I've been in this new home, and I'm still discovering and loving surprises in the garden. It is filled with plants that invite bees and butterflies, and this year, snacks for others, too! Although it's been a hot, dry summer, we had an unusually wetter spring. More plants, some new to me, have appeared. This time I celebrate the wild strawberries that are flourishing in all kinds of weather. My home has quite a bit of flagstone, walks and patio, and the strawberries are still blooming and producing in the cracks. I imagine small bunnies, birds and maybe squirrels, are sneaking in to have a snack. Certainly when they can find ripe ones, my granddaughters have one or two. They aren't prolific, but taste very sweet. I have researched them, and some believe they are weeds, and should be eliminated. But these are only in the cracks, not in my small bit of grass, and I've loved seeing them, am happy to have a buffet of sorts in the garden. I love being outdoors, and celebrate the time I can examine new growth, and learn about it, too.

Friday, July 29, 2016

Almost August, wow! Because we have so little rain, and mostly late in the day, the cicadas have become our vocal storm, exactly at dusk. Visit Margaret Simon at Reflections On The Teche for all the Poetry Friday links today. Thanks for hosting, Margaret!

Christopher Morley is not
really known as a children’s poet. I’ve researched him only because of the poem
I discovered in an old book found at the used bookstore where I volunteer. He
seems to be best known through adult literature, has published over 100 books, articles
and essays during his lifetime, according to his brief bio on The Poetry
Foundation site.

Most interesting to me were these
final words from his obituary, written by Morley himself: “Read, every day, something no one else is reading. Think, every day,
something no one else is thinking. Do, every day, something no one else would
be silly enough to do. It is bad for the mind to continually be part of
unanimity.”

Tuesday, July 26, 2016

Thanks to Alyson Beecher's Non-Fiction Picture Book Challenge at Kidlit Frenzy, everyone shares wonderful non-fiction picture books.John Coy must love basketball because he's recently written the story of James Naismith, Hoop Genius: How A Desperate Teacher and a Rowdy Gym Class Invented Basketball, which I reviewed here, among other books about basketball. Randy DuBurke does all kinds of art according to the book jacket, and in this picture book shows the mood of this clandestine game beautifully, in faded blues, and the art's theme is action, action, action.

Monday, July 25, 2016

I'm slicing with the Two Writing Teachers community today. It's always a pleasure to read what everyone writes about their lives.

"Sooner or later we all
discover that the important moments in life are not the advertised ones, not
the birthdays, the graduations, the weddings, not the great goals achieved. The
real milestones are less prepossessing. They come to the door of memory
unannounced, stray dogs that amble in, sniff around a bit and simply never
leave. Our lives are measured by these."

There must be a few kids who will read this book and say to themselves, “That’s me! I feel that scared, too.” It’s a slow deliberation of Wren, a twelve year old, who thinks through everything, worried how she will look to others, and like a little mouse, she’s usually ready to run back into her hole in case something is too scary. As Cecilia Galante slowly reveals Wren and her family, a brother with Asperger’s Syndrome and a mother who appears depressed, yet Wren is not sure what’s really wrong. Her father keeps saying her mother just needs rest. And then there’s her mother’s sister, newly moved to the town with her cousin Silver, the same age, beautiful and already popular. Everyone loves Silver, but she too is not what she seems. Swirling in Wren’s story is Witch Weatherly, alone on Creeper Mountain, with tales wound around her so tight that even the adults believe them. This story of Wren during only a few weeks of her life reveals old family secrets, a new friendship, and new knowledge about being brave.

I just read this to my seven year old granddaughter. It needed some explaining, and some connecting to her own life, but she learned another perspective, and how great that is. The story is about a family, including a respected grandmother/teacher, a young boy and his little sister who move from Korea to West Virginia, U.S.A. The differences are highlighted, particularly the language differences and how challenging it is when one doesn't understand. A bit of looking different is included too. Slowly Jeri Watts brings things together in a sort of happy ending. It's a story for younger children, and perhaps the middle grades to start a conversation, but the challenges are more complex and it would be good for older kids to know that, too. Realistic and colorful illustrations by Hyewon Yum show the action and emotions well.

You need to know little more than this is a book to share with students, about students in a very different place, Haiti, who have to rise early in the morning, and run and run, to get to school. In a song-like cadence, the story is told of children who wouldn't miss this long journey, carrying book bags made of palm tree leaves and little metal bowls of food for lunch, wrapped in an embroidered cloth. And wow, the folk-art illustrations show them running through forests and traffic, past farmers and cars, all to get to "one more word and one more line, one more line and one more page of their little songs. . .on the road to ABC." Simple text, powerful message, beautiful art!

This weekend I celebrate with Ruth Ayres at Discover Play Build. and link with others who share their celebrations, too. I am grateful to Ruth for starting this meme that offers a place to share! There have been good moments in this week, but it's been a hard week with the goodbye of a dear grand-dog and the RNC convention chaos, and me hoping that people will see the truth of this nominee and celebrate keeping the democracy we have.My usual celebrations hold family times, family adventures, good books and walks seeing the beauty of nature. My son, daughter-in-law and grandson are off in Scandinavia with their close friends, having a marvelous time. The granddaughters were with me twice this week, playing in the front yard giving me songs and dances, and then Friday their performance on a big stage as a finale from our Denver Center for the Performing Arts acting camp. The pictures from that are terrible, so not posting, but it was great seeing all the small plays from Kindergarten to Fifth Grade, making music and words come alive! One lovely part of this week was being with my writing group, great talk and support for our work!

Thursday, July 21, 2016

Chelanne at Books 4 Learning welcomes us today for Poetry Friday. Come join in, or click the links to read everyone's offerings. There is a moment when one knows it's time to say goodbye to a beloved pet, and this past week held that moment for my daughter, son-in-law and granddaughters. Their "George", a rescued cattle dog has been with them for about six years, and I had the pleasure of his visits with them, and alone when they vacationed. He was sweet and caring with the daughters, the cats, was a dearest companion to my son-in-law. They traveled to work together every day. I woke on Wednesday morning with the first line in this poem in my head. Although George was only my pet on occasion, because I no longer have a pet, he was dear to me too. A part of me thinks George must be making others happy in this, his next life.

I have been remiss in my haste to post and want to add that in the early summer, another beloved dog in our family also left, this time the Bernese Mountain dog, Truman, sweet love of my son, daughter-in-law and grandson. I've had the pleasure of his visits over the years, another dear member of the family. I imagine he's up there waiting to greet George, and yes, fur flying!

Tuesday, July 19, 2016

Thanks to Alyson Beecher's Non-Fiction Picture Book Challenge at Kidlit Frenzy, everyone shares wonderful non-fiction picture books. We learn much from authors who write about special topics.

In this book, there is no story other than an intro by Geraldo Valério telling of his love of birds. However, the pages Valério has designed and filled with glorious paper collages of the birds of North America, filling double pages when there are larger birds. The text about each is brief, but sometimes extra information is added. There is a glossary, further sources of information and an index.

Monday, July 18, 2016

I'm slicing with the Two Writing Teachers community today. It's always a pleasure to read what everyone writes about their lives.

Tired of the tension, trying to be more light-hearted in this post.

I've used shoes quite a bit in my teaching. We've written poems about them, studied other poets' poems, and sketched them. There seems to be one scene in nearly every book about shoes. These past few days I've been trying to choose more clothes to give away. Shoes are the hardest.

Like others I know, I don't particularly like shoes. I'd rather spend more money on books. So, when I know that I have a pair of shoes that will "fit" an occasion and not be too out of date, I hesitate to get rid of them.

It's time to announce the giveaway posted last week for a prize pack of Journey and Quest by Aaron Becker, thanks to Candlewick Press.

THE WINNER CHOSEN BY RAFFLECOPTER IS RICKI GINSBERG

Ricki, I'll contact you to get your address so the books can be mailed.

Congratulations!

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This is the third time I've mentioned this book below, but I had to share one more time. It's so good!

There are sad books for middle grades, and I've read and loved many of them, sympathized with the hurt of children, wishing they could grow a little more before facing loss. But this book teaches! It shows teachers why they must listen and watch their students so carefully, knowing that hiding true things is what they do, just like Ms. Bixby knows. And it shows friends-Steve, Brand and Topher-uncommonly loyal, something to remember to be, something to learn to be! I was teary through quite a lot of the story. John Anderson tells a story that satisfies, surprises, and makes me want to shout out to the world: READ THIS BOOK! So I am!

Saturday, July 16, 2016

This Saturday I celebrate with Ruth Ayres at Discover Play Build. and link with others who share their celebrations, too. I am grateful to Ruth for starting this meme that offers a place to share!

I've been writing quite a lot about the days past, filtering the news that tries to take power over my celebrations. I won't let it take over, but I cannot ignore it either, feel sadness for the turmoil, will do what I can to make things better. My days are filled with goodness, and I am grateful for them.

In the story, Anthony Doerr tells us peaches are "wedges of wet sunlight". This was a re-read for me for my book group this week, and I loved it again, such beauty in the story and the writing, and a reminder of hard times overcome in the past, too. Being with the group and talking about our book, among other parts of our lives is a joy.

I finished this new middle-grade book and didn't want to start another, found it hard to end it. For both teachers and kids, it is a book I hope we'll see with a Newbery badge.

Friday, July 15, 2016

My computer is in for a tune-up, I type so-o slowly on the iPad, and these words, I hope, will help us breathe through another sad time.Preface to Leaves of Grass

This is what you shall do: Love the earth and sun and the animals, despise riches, give alms to every one that asks, stand up for the stupid and crazy, devote your income and labor to others, hate tyrants, argue not concerning God, have patience and indulgence toward the people, take off your hat to nothing known or unknown or to any man or number of men, go freely with powerful uneducated persons and with the young and with the mothers of families, read these leaves in the open air every season of every year of your life, re-examine all you have been told at school or church or in any book, dismiss whatever insults your own soul; and your very flesh shall be a great poem and have the richest fluency not only in its words but in the silent lines of its lips and face and between the lashes of your eyes and in every motion and joint of your body.

Tuesday, July 12, 2016

I'm slicing with the Two Writing Teachers community today. It's always a pleasure to read what everyone writes about their lives.

This small part was posted on Facebook yesterday: There is a large flower bed outside my fence that is mostly beautiful, but the HOA is in charge of it, and I am tired of seeing so many weeds. Here is what I did today, in succession, left to right, from bindweed attacking, to me attacking bindweed, and the results. I'll keep going again, but it's hot, & I filled one bag! Maybe the HOA will pay me (te he)! I actually don't mind too much. I like being outdoors! And I love the result!

BEFORE

DURING

AFTER

I've thought of all the things I can do about the troubled time in this past week. I must confess that there is part of me that hopes someone will step forward and fix everything. I wish that it wasn't happening. I wish that it wasn't hard. I do believe many of us are kind, do help by being who we are.

Like waiting for that bindweed to disappear, I keep waiting. The problems have grown, the weeds have grown, and others in the neighborhood pass by. I imagine they do not see, think it's someone else's problem, not theirs. So, I ask the question: "Who else but me will add to the actions needed?"

I remember Robert F. Kennedy speaking to the crowd after Dr. Martin Luther King's assassination, and continue to be influenced his words:

“Few will have the greatness to bend history itself, but each of us can work to change a small portion of events. It is from numberless diverse acts of courage and belief that human history is shaped. Each time a man stands up for an ideal, or acts to improve the lot of others, or strikes out against injustice, he sends forth a tiny ripple of hope, and crossing each other from a million different centers of energy and daring those ripples build a current which can sweep down the mightiest walls of oppression and resistance.”

At last, after waiting for a long while, Aaron Becker's Journey Trilogy comes to an end with another gorgeous adventure to sink into, Return! Aaron Becker enthralled us with Journey, a wordless picture book that held a stern message to parents who are spending too much time away from their children. A young girl is shown to be so lonely that she draws herself into an adventure, filled with the wonder of a castle with all its elements. The illustrations keep one on each page for a long, long time admiring the details, and then discovering more! They are spell-binding! There is sadness, adventure, and a special surprise at the end. I imagine using this to tell stories, to find one's own red crayon and take off on a new adventure. This book was named a Caldecott Honor book in 2014.

Saturday, July 9, 2016

Celebrating with Ruth Ayres at Discover Play Build. and connecting with others who share their celebrations, too.

I took some time posting the following yesterday on Facebook. My words did not come easily, wanting to say something that added to a tough conversation, and now today, many are possibly asking "How can we celebrate?" But we must not give up what is a fight for what's right. My mother told me of those years in World War II when the family went years without seeing loved ones, read dreadful headlines of battles all over the world, and didn't know where their loved ones were. They did not give up, and kept living their lives, hopeful, often doubtful, worried, joyful when good news came. I celebrate they made lives matter, for our future goodness. And I celebrate that we persevered and marched in the sixties for Civil Rights, thinking that it wouldn't get better, and it did. Now it's time to fight and march again to make change. From FB: There is solace in going about our daily lives, and there is that which pushes us to action, to find something good to hold onto when so much is troubled around us. I am thinking of that "day before", the one where life was good for Philando Castle, Alton Sterling and the police officers, all doing their lives with family and friends, adding to others' lives in good ways. And now it is the "day after". . . and time to step up to make everyone's lives matter, because those lost cannot do that now. We need to do it for them. A Poetry Friday friend posted this poem today. Here is her link: https://kerirecommends.com/…/…/poetry-friday-in-summer-time/ And here are the four lines that touched me, as I hope they touch you, and help you do well with your lives today and tomorrow, too! "The summer sounds, and summer sights,That set a restless mind to rightsWhen grief and pain and raging doubtOf men and creeds have worn it out;" Paul Lawrence Dunbar I celebrate and keep on for these children, for all children. How can I not!